Students in Badung Not Required to Attend School to Collect Free Nutritious Meals During Nyepi-Idul Fitri Holidays
The government has ensured that students receiving the Free Nutritious Meals programme (MBG) in Badung District will not need to attend school during the Nyepi and Idul Fitri holiday periods. Meal package distribution has been suspended during the holiday period, whilst meal allocations scheduled before the holiday have been replaced with dried food menus.
“In accordance with the circular directive, dried food packages such as biscuits, fruit, milk and other items are typically distributed. The distribution dates vary and each school differs depending on the Free Food Catering Service Unit (SPPG),” said I Gusti Made Dwipayana, Head of the Badung Education, Youth and Sports Agency, on Saturday 14 March 2026.
The MBG programme in Badung currently reaches 183 schools from early childhood education through to upper secondary level, benefiting a total of 48,953 recipients. Beyond students, the programme also targets vulnerable groups including pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children in the area.
At State Primary School 6 Kuta, the distribution of dried food menus for allocations from 14 to 17 March 2026 was completed earlier on Friday. The school ensured there would be no meal distribution activities from 18 to 30 March 2026 as this coincided with the extended religious holiday period.
A different situation occurred at State Primary School 1 Kuta. The school distributed dried food menus for only two days, namely 14 and 16 March. For the 17 March allocation, the SPPG did not conduct food distribution to the school.
Meanwhile, State Primary School 1 Abianbase in Mengwi District implemented a consolidated system for distributing dried food menu allocations to students. Under this system, teachers and pupils at the school did not need to attend to collect MBG packages on 16 to 18 March.
Kadek Heri Puspa Dewi, the MBG distribution coordinator at State Primary School 1 Abianbase, explained that schools were given two options regarding the technical administration of meal distribution. After coordination, the school agreed to distribute allocations in a single batch on Friday.
“We were given the option of either having students attend on Monday and Tuesday to collect it, or to consolidate the distribution on Friday. We agreed to consolidate the distribution of the dried food MBG menu on Friday with the permission of the School Principal,” said Kadek Heri Puspa Dewi.
This decision was made to facilitate students so they would not need to make repeated trips to school solely to collect their MBG allocation during the holiday transition period. Kadek emphasised that the procedure complied with instructions and National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Circular Number 3 of 2026.
“For the holiday period, there is no collection since it has been communicated in accordance with the circular from the catering department. As the distribution coordinator, I ensure this information has been properly conveyed,” she concluded.